Edina Digital Age Learning

Simon Sinek, author of the book, " Start with Why " was the keynote presenter Monday at the TIES Conference. His TED Talk on content from his book has been extremely popular. Sinek, considers himself an early adopter, but he likes human beings more than technology! How do we use technology to make things work better for the human being? We need a human problem before technology is used most effectively. He gave the example of screens with string to pull down.  A brilliant example of tech is to go to Bed Bath and Beyond. Some toasters have a function where if you lift the button, the toast comes up.  First, what is the human problem we are trying to solve? We have to remember why we are teaching this in the first place. We teach students, not curriculum!! So what can technology do for education? Sinek believes it can be used for: Humans are fundamentally social. What is so remarkable about us that made us not only survive, but thrive? Human beings want to...

Kathryn Smith , former Bemidji State professor, presented on Innovative Spaces Support 21st Century Learning. Her presentation slides can be found here . Today, learning can happen anywhere, anytime, and on any device.  She started by using PollEverywhere to ask about the status of mobile technologies and school learning environments. She thinks that the TPACK model is a good one to use when implementing professional development around 21st Century learning. We are using this model in our BYOD professional development. Smith notes that the National Educational Technology Plan , is a great road map for change. Research has shown that the appropriate use of technology and the appropriate design of learning spaces is having a significant positive impact on learning. The learning spaces today are not that far removed from 19th Century classrooms. She showed this video from the University of Michigan on research on design of learning environment. Here are more videos...